I know I have in the past, in moments of frustration, referred to Tommy in less than respectful terms. I had a bit of a change of heart after Mike Rinder and I had a discussion about Miscavige’s standard operating procedure for handling the media.
For those who’ve more recently joined us, perhaps you did not hear the Tommy Davis meltdown with the St Petersburg Times. Tommy’s interview in response to their 2009 Truth Rundown series investigation “annihilated” Tommy’s and Miscavige’s credibility – confirming for most intelligent listeners that Tommy was lying through his teeth and David Miscavige in fact did commit the serial psychotic and violent acts enumerated by myself, Mike Rinder, Amy Scobee, Tom Devocht, Jeff Hawkins, Marc Headley, Claire Headley, Steve Hall, et al……
You can find the Davis meltdown here, particularly the first segment titled “there were witnesses to it”: http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/church-response.shtml
Tommy testified under oath as follows in the Headley cases this summer. In early 09 Tommy was minding his own business deep in the bowels of Flag central files. Tommy was on a several month project to get those files in order (presumably, and this is my presumption, because he was busted to that lowly position after his blow from the Sea Org two years earlier) . He was fished out of planet-file to report to Linda Hammil (CO OSA INT) in order to handle official spokesperson duties, right about the time the church was informed Miscavige’s crimes against humanity were about to see the light of day.
This makes perfect sense, much like Mike Rinder was pulled out of filthy manual labor duty in 2007 to handle the BBC.
Tommy has been hell on wheels since, either talking to the media or cajoling and threatening former members who have foresaken Corporate, Radical Scientology. Lies flow from him like the Niagra. Apparently, he does not want to wind up back in the caverns of manila folders. A typical Miscavige leverage operation.
Then what is to defend about Tommy? Tommy is a good kid. I like him, and while I don’t like what he does for Miscavige, I will always like him. Tommy is simply PTS, Potential Trouble Source, somebody connected to and the effect of a Suppressive Person. In this case, obviously the SP is David Miscavige.
When acting as spokesperson, whether with the media or with fleeing members, Tommy is not allowed to think. Tommy is not allowed to originate. Tommy is required to act as an automaton of David Miscavige. He must do and say precisely what Miscavige tells him to do and say, exactly how Miscavige wants him to do and say it.
It is not an enviable position to be in. While I can sit in judgment of how Tommy has coped with this situation, I recognize it is a very difficult place to be. It is not just me saying this. Check out Mike and I discussing how Miscavige micromanages the defense of his image below. You’ll perhaps get an idea of the kind of extreme stress Tommy is put under to bring about what you see in public.
At the end of the day, I look forward to Tommy’s four or five glorious days at Casablanca, a short week in which he is brought back to his own native, charming personality; the one that many of us once knew.
Moving On Up a Little Higher 